“The school system doesn’t meet the literacy needs; there is a need for more flexibility and alternative systems.” – Learning Center Representative during Consultation

“Delivery in the workplace is partly a time issue. Shift work is a big part of employment so finding a place and time that works is difficult.” – Employer in the Supplemental Business/ Labour Telephone Survey

Shift work and unemployment/underemployment make it difficult to engage in on-thejob training.” – Union Representative in the Supplemental Business/Labour Telephone Survey

• There is a need for more flexible hours and creative approaches to upgrading

• A band manager in one community said that part of the reason school finishing rates had increased among First Nations students was that the system allows them to graduate at their own pace.

• Several libraries and community associations run outreach programs for people who are too intimidated or stressed to come to them.

Distance Education…

• There is a need for more distance education. Several Community Skills Centers we spoke with are interested in offering distance education involving online resources, mobile teachers, and learning circles.

• The upgrading needs of camp workers in remote areas are not being met. Many transient workers in remote camps are non-readers but they have limited access to upgrading. Some combination of interventions that include distance-based learning is needed.

• Basic skills upgrading was a need identified for homecare workers who are often working alone, in isolation.

• One particularly isolated community we visited has an electronic busing program in place – with computers placed in homes for upgrading purposes. Many people in rural areas have to drive a long way to and from work at the mills and don’t have a lot of time for upgrading. Distance-based learning from home makes it more convenient.

• Computer-based distance education is most effective when accompanied by human support; many believe it doesn’t succeed without it